Sunday, December 30, 2012

war looters in Syria

"

Since
the outbreak of the uprising 21 months ago, there have been reports of
antiquities being stolen from sites that previously were well guarded. But now,
according to a man involved in the trade, it is becoming more systematic.

“It’s
very similar to Iraq,” he said. In both countries, he explained, the looting
became “more organised” as time went by.

Syria
is unusually rich in archaeological sites; it was at the frontier of the Roman
and Parthian empires, and contains traces of all the important civilisations
that had a presence in the Middle East going back to the earliest settled
cultures. It is also unusual in having churches and mosques which have been in
continuous use since the early days of Christianity and Islam.

Artefacts
are dug up or stolen from the many sites, smuggled across the Lebanese and
Turkish borders, authenticated by experts and then sold on to clients from
around the world, including the US, according to people involved in the
trade.

It
is potentially big business. A small statue is worth $30,000, the trader
said.

Another
man involved in the trafficking interviewed this year said he was offered an
object for $300,000.

A
video posted on the internet purportedly taken in the ancient city of Palmyra
gives an indication of the ravages wrought by the illegal trade. It shows
several stone sculptures apparently stolen from the site being loaded on to a
pickup truck.

Initially,
the looting happened in an ad hoc manner, sometimes with the apparent collusion
of security services.

One
activist interviewed in the ancient city of Apamea said that excavating and
selling antiquities there, mainly mosaics, had become a rare source of income
for ordinary people in an economy ravaged by war." (thanks Joseph)

Comic by Terry Furry, reproduced from "Heard the One About the Funny Leftist?" by Cris Thompson, East Bay Express

As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.

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